Front end construction



y 1934- c. H. KUSCHEL ,299

FRONT END CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 14, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR CZ? rexyag%k icie/ ATTO RNEYS July 31, 1934. c S E 11,968,299

FRONT END CONS'liRUCTION Filed Dec. 14, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR I ,7, Z, I 6/07/61? A! Kasaie/ ATTORNEYs Patented July 31, 1934 UITED STATES FRONT END CONSTRUCTION Clarence H. Kuschel, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Briggs Manufacturing Company,

Detroit,

Mich., a company of Michigan Application December 14, 1931, Serial No. 581,008

3 Claims.

This invention relates to front end constructions for vehicle bodies and more particularly to a one-piece front end construction comprising, in addition to body pillars and a belt bar, a header and a front roof rail, the latter being provided with angular flanges, all integral with one another and capable of being produced by being stamped from a single sheet of metal.

In the accompanying drawings:-

Figure l is a perspective view partly broken away, of a front end constructed in accordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevation of the structure illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through the structure;

Figure 4 is a top plan view;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical section through the header portion of the structure; and

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View through the header and roof rail portion showing a slightly modified form of construction.

By reference to the drawings it will be noted that the structure comprises a pair of spaced body pillars 10 which are substantially channel shaped throughout and with which the channel shaped belt bar 11 is connected and a header 12.

The structure also comprises a front roof rail 13 provided at its opposite ends with flanges. These flanges 14 are adapted for attachment to the side roof rails of the vehicle body (not shown) The lower flange 12 of the substantially channel-shaped header bar 12 has its outer edge provided with an upstanding flange 15 as illustrated, which not only adds strength and rigidity to the structure, but affords means for attaching and ".ipporting the windshield 16.

The substantially horizontal extending front roof rail 13 projects oppositely from the channelshaped header bar and cooperates therewith to give an angular cross-section which imparts additional. strength and rigidity to the structure. Moreover, the angularly extending flanges 14, which, as mentioned, are adapted to be bolted to the side roof rail, reinforce and render the structure rigid.

As will be apparent from the drawings, the channels 10, together with the parts 11, 12 and 13 are of such a character that they may be all stamped or pressed from a single sheet of metal to thus produce a unitary one-piece construction. This eliminates many parts together with the consequential operations and thus affects economy in production. In Figure 3 it will be noted that the structure may be further strengthened by pressing in ribs 17 at the juncture of the roof rail 13 and the header bar 12.

In Figure 6 the transverse sectional shape of the combined header bar and roof rail is different, the cross-section consisting of an upwardly inclined portion 18, extending from the horizontal portion 12' of the header bar.

In each of the forms of construction illustrated and described, a windshield header panel 20 is secured to the structure as illustrated best in Figures 5 and 6 and forms, together withthe header bar and front roof rail, a hollow structure.

In each of the modified forms of construction, the flanges 14 are provided, by means of which the front end construction is attached to the side roof rails.

With the foregoing construction a rigid durable front end construction is provided which may be produced from a single sheet of metal and thus may be constructed and assembled with the body with facility. The unitary one-piece construction eliminates a number of parts heretofore necessary, together with the necessary joints between these parts and thereby eliminates possibility of squeaks and other noises.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A one piece front end construction for vehicle bodies formed from a single sheet of metal including a pair of spaced pillars, a header bar extending between said pillars, said header bar having a substantially upright portion and a substantially horizontal portion, an upright flange on the free edge of said horizontal portion, and a substantially horizontally extending portion on the free edge of said upright portion constituting a roof rail.

2. A one piece front end construction for vehicle bodies formed from a single sheet of metal including a pair of channel shaped pillars, a substantially channel shaped header bar extending between said pillars and having its channel connected to the channels of said pillars, said header bar having substantially horizontal and upright portions, a laterally extending flange on the free edge of said horizontal portion constituting windshield attaching means, and a laterally extending portion on the free edge of said upright portion constituting a roof rail.

3. A one piece front end construction for vehicle bodies formed from a single sheet of metal including a pair of channel shaped pillars, a substantially channel shaped header bar extending between said pillars and having its channel connected to the channels of said pillars, said header bar having substantially horizontal and upright portions, a laterally extending flange on the free edge of said horizontal portion constituting windshield attaching means, a laterally extending portion on the free edge of said upright portion constituting a roof rail, and angularly extending flanges on the ends of said roof rail for attachment to the side roof rails of the vehicle body.

CLARENCE H. KUSCHEL. 

